The present invention generally relates to an inflatable bed and is specifically directed to an air inflatable bed apparatus that, when not inflated, is compactable for efficient portability and storage and that includes removably attachable elevated support components that are vertically and spatially adjustable so as to make the apparatus adjustable for optimum comfort and compatible with users of different physical dimensions.
Vertically adjustable beds are well known commodities. Today, most American hospital rooms are equipped with vertically adjustable beds that are electromechanically operable. Hospitalized patients who are confined to those types of beds, but who remain physically capable of controlling the beds without assistance can, at the mere press of a switch, incline their beds and raise themselves to watch television, converse with visitors and perform various other waking activities that are preferably done from upright postures. Similarly, the patients can then decline the beds and lower themselves whenever they wish to assume a more evenly horizontal position. Furthermore, vertically adjustable beds allow bedridden patients in more debilitated conditions to be raised, by their care providers, to facilitate basic activities such as feeding and bedpan use or for preventing fluid buildup in the patients' lungs without the patients having to be physically handled by multiple care providers. Therefore, in addition to enabling patients to have more comfortable hospitalization experiences, vertically adjustable beds can effectively lower a hospital's labor costs by reducing the number of care personnel that otherwise would be needed simply for lifting and lowering debilitated patients on their beds throughout the day.
From a negative standpoint, however, a contemporary electromechanical bed that is vertically adjustable can be simply too expensive for the average consumer to purchase for home use. Also, as is the case with any electromechanical device, there are risks of mechanical or electrical failure occurring. Furthermore, the sheer sizes and weights of most of these beds make it prohibitive to move them from room to room, much less transport them in vehicles.
Air inflatable beds, some of which are vertically adjustable, are also well known in the prior art. For examples, U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,511 to Collymore and U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,522 to Walker both disclose examples of such. Inflatable beds, generally, can provide multiple benefits to users. One obvious benefit, depending on the construction of the particular airbed, is that of portability. Airbeds which are compactable and devoid of any heavy or rigid parts, as are many vinyl-fabricated air mattresses, can be transported for use virtually anywhere, and their compactness allows them to be easily stored in small spaces.
Another virtue of an inflatable mattress, in comparison to a conventional bed mattress, can be the firmness that the inflatable mattress possesses when it is inflated to a high pressure. For this reason, an inflatable bed may be preferable to a more forgiving conventional mattress for a person suffering from a chronic back ailment. And an airbed that is contoured to smoothly incline a user's torso can be a considerably firmer inclined lying surface than is an inclinable conventional mattress, much less the makeshift alternative of stacked pillows for propping the head and torso. Again, for users suffering from back or neck problems, the extra firmness of the airbed can be essential to preventing further spinal and muscular aggravation. Additionally, persons suffering respiratory ailments such as asthma or emphysema and those suffering gastric problems such as acid reflux disease (“GERD”) can also benefit from an airbed that elevates their torsos during rest.
However, inflatable beds of the prior art are not without their deficiencies as well. One such deficiency common to many known inflatable beds is their lack of spatial adjustability. To wit, since people of varying tallness may wish to enjoy the use of an inflatable bed, it may be necessary to allow for expansion and contraction of, for example, the space that separates the torso/head elevating segment of the airbed from its leg elevating segment, where the inflatable bed features both such segments. When an inflatable bed does not allow for this kind of spatial adjustment, the bed may be incompatible with users who are considerably taller than the typical user, as the legs of taller users may extend beyond the end of the airbed, or the leg incline segment of the airbed may not be comfortably situated relative to its torso/head incline segment. Incidentally, this inability to adjust the spacing between inclined segments of the bed is not confined to inflatable beds; it can be a drawback of mechanical adjustable beds as well.
Thus, it can be appreciated that there exists a particular need for a portable bed apparatus that is both vertically and horizontally adjustable to enable lifting and propping of the torsos and legs of users and to render it compatible with virtually all users. The portable, adjustable and inflatable bed of the present invention substantially fulfills this need.